The insistent, almost irritating knock at the door burst into her sleep, mercilessly tearing Nika out of the embrace of such pleasant drowsiness. She lazily turned her head toward the clock and exhaled in disappointment: only ten in the morning! On a day off, she had wanted so badly to prolong the blissful feeling of being close to her soft bed, to dissolve into rest, to forget about everything in the world. The thought of pretending she was deaf and ignoring the annoying visitor was tempting, but the knocking did not stop—the visitor’s persistence was becoming thoroughly irritating.
Muttering a curse under her breath, Nika forced herself to get up. Rising from the bed, she stretched her whole body, delightfully reaching her arms up toward the ceiling, and could not hold back a blissful smile. Then she straightened the edges of her favorite pajama top and, as she walked, smoothed down the unruly wavy strands that had escaped from her braid—for some reason, Nika could not sleep with her hair loose.
Through the peephole, she saw an unfamiliar woman nervously shifting from one foot to the other. Nika’s heart sank with annoyance: apparently, someone had the wrong address. It was frustrating to be woken up over such nonsense, but since her sleep had already been ruined, all that remained was to open the door.
“You’ve probably got the wrong address,” Nika said, glancing at the suitcase whose handle the young woman was gripping so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. “I don’t know you, and I wasn’t expecting any guests.”
“Not at all! I haven’t made a mistake,” the girl objected confidently. “I came to the right address. You’re Nika, aren’t you?”
It was as if an invisible switch clicked in Nika’s head—her sleepiness vanished instantly. She studied the stranger’s face, trying to remember where and when they might have met, but her memory offered nothing. They definitely had never known each other before and had never crossed paths. Then how did this girl know her name? Shaking her head slightly, Nika tried to smile politely.
“That’s right. But how do you know me?”
“I’m your husband’s new wife, and now I’ll be living in this apartment!” the stranger announced loudly and firmly. “My name is Polina. Please don’t keep me standing in the doorway. I’m pregnant, and I don’t want to catch a cold.”
With those words, Polina unceremoniously shoved Nika with her shoulder and squeezed her way inside.
“My husband’s new wife?” The thought sounded absurd, like a line from some cheap melodramatic play.
Nika’s thoughts drifted back to the day when Alexey had looked her in the eyes and said, “I can’t stay with you anymore. I don’t want to lie. I’ve met someone else, and I want to be with her.” Nika had not made a scene. She had not screamed or begged. She had simply accepted it as a fact.
Their marriage had lasted only a year and a half. The first year had seemed like a fairy tale: Alexey had courted her in a way that made her friends jealous. But married life quickly revealed its underside—it turned out that neither of them had truly been ready for it. Over time, they seemed to grow tired of each other, and closeness was replaced by alienation.
Not much time had passed since Alexey left—they had not even managed to officially file for divorce yet. Nika had been busy, and he, apparently, was in no hurry. And now his “new wife” had barged through her door—the phrase sounded nauseatingly sugary. To wake her up just to make that announcement? No, Nika had no intention of letting this go so easily.
“So, a new wife, then,” she drawled, looking Polina over as if assessing some trinket at a flea market.
To herself, she noted that Alexey’s taste had clearly declined. But Nika was not used to stooping to comments about appearance—there were plenty of other ways to make it clear that such visits were inappropriate.
“How interesting. What does the new wife want to learn from the old one?” she asked with light irony. “Have you come to learn how to take care of dear Leshenka? Sorry to disappoint you, but I can’t help you there. He used to take care of me himself, so I have no advice to share.”
“Don’t pretend!” Polina cut her off sharply. “You won’t give Lyosha a divorce, and he can’t legally marry me! Doesn’t that disgust you? You’re holding on to a man who has already left you anyway!”
“I won’t give him one?” Nika’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Who am I to hold him by force? He’s a grown boy, don’t you think?”
Inside, rage was beginning to boil. Nika could understand a lot of things, but she had no intention of tolerating this farce.
“That’s exactly right!” Polina insisted. “He said you refuse to give him a divorce so you can drag things out and avoid dividing the property. He respects you, so he wouldn’t dare come here himself, but I… I don’t respect you. You have no pride at all if you’re trying to hold on to a man who doesn’t need you.”
Nika swallowed. She knew that former partners sometimes did not spare any dirt when talking about those with whom things had failed, but she had not expected Alexey to sink to such gossip. When they separated, he had seemed like a reasonable person—calm, sensible. And now it turned out that behind her back he was spreading rumors that she was keeping him on a leash?
“Are you going to say next that I handcuffed him to the radiator?” Nika asked coldly, feeling her patience thinning like an old thread. Just a little more, and she might not merely show herself to be rude—she might throw this insolent girl down the stairs. She had to end this quickly before things went too far.
“Are you afraid of dividing the apartment?” Polina would not let up. “Fine! We’ll live together! That way you’ll go to court faster to get divorced and divide everything legally! I’m not like you, Nika! I’ll fight for my happiness!” She lifted her chin as if issuing a challenge.
“Oh… this is worse than I thought,” Nika said, shaking her head. “Polina, I have nothing to be afraid of. Who even told you that my husband would get so much as a spot by the threshold in my apartment?”
“Your apartment?” Polina asked in surprise. “Actually… Lyosha earns very well. He told me he bought this apartment!”
Nika felt a sharp, unexpected sting of hurt. Not because of this annoying guest, and not because of the ridiculous argument that should never have happened in the first place. It hurt because all those years she had not known her husband’s true face.
Could Alexey really pretend so skillfully? She had never noticed anything like that in her husband before; he had never seemed like a storyteller. But then again… he might have changed. Or behaved differently with his “new wife.” What had she tempted him with so much that he invented a story about his great income and buying the apartment? Was she a wealthy bride? No… judging by her, it did not seem so; she was dressed cheaply, and she had definitely not come to assert her rights for no reason. A profitable relationship? The boss’s daughter? That option did not fit either… And why bother guessing? It was his business…
“So he bought it, did he? May I ask when? I haven’t sold it… and I don’t plan to,” Nika continued, barely holding back laughter. “Polina, before showing up like this with absurd accusations, you could at least have asked dear Lyosha for proof.”
“What proof? I trust my man. Lyosha would never lie to me.”
Nika had also thought that Lyosha would not drag her name through the mud, that they would part like reasonable, mature people, but… apparently, that scenario did not suit him. He wanted to play games? He could fill this foolish girl’s ears with as much nonsense as he wanted, but he should not have dragged Nika into it. Right now, she was disappointed. Deeply disappointed.
“All right. It’s time to end this performance. Polina, take your suitcase and go back wherever you came from. Where you and Alexey are living is none of my concern. This apartment is mine! It belonged to me before my wedding to Lyosha. And after the divorce, it will remain mine as well. He and I have no shared property. There is nothing for us to divide. And a woman who doesn’t know basic manners will not be living with me either. Whether you’re pregnant or not makes no difference to me. Leave. Otherwise, I won’t call the police—but I can very easily throw you down the stairs.”
Polina opened her mouth to object, but immediately closed it again. She really had no proof except Alexey’s words, while Nika acted as if she was confident in every word she said. Could the apartment really belong to her?
“Show me the documents! Then I’ll believe you.”
Nika only smirked. Show her the documents? Did this girl want anything else while she was at it? Her insolence had already crossed every acceptable boundary. It was time to finish this.
“Alexey will show you the documents, Polina, if he has any. And let him show you his high salary too, instead of just throwing around big words. Now leave my apartment. If you care about your condition, then just… go.”
A threat flashed in Nika’s eyes. Apparently realizing that it would indeed be best for her to leave, Polina twitched nervously and rushed out into the stairwell, dragging her suitcase behind her. Why had she come at all? Just to disgrace herself and run away with nothing? No… She had clearly expected to force a quick division of property that had never belonged to Alexey in the first place.
Nika had not expected such a performance first thing in the morning. However, Polina’s visit pushed her toward something she should have done long ago. After making coffee and taking the mug with her, she sat down at her desk, opened her laptop, and began filing for divorce. She should have done it immediately instead of waiting for her dear husband to get around to it himself. After that, Nika called Alexey. She warned him that she had filed for divorce and that she would not tolerate it if his new wife showed up at her place again.
“I don’t know why you told her all those fairy tales, but next time I won’t be so kind… I’ll throw her out in a way she’ll remember for the rest of her life!” Nika declared.
She did not care how her ex would justify himself to his other half, if he valued her so much. Nika had no desire for anyone to show up again, disturbing her long-awaited peace.
Alexey did not say a word in his own defense, but Nika had not expected any explanations from him. What difference did it make why he had lied?
Trying not to spoil her mood, Nika walked over to the wardrobe and decided that since she had woken up earlier than planned, it would be nice to go for a walk, treat herself to some new clothes, after all.
Polina’s visit left Nika with mixed feelings. On one hand, she felt sorry for the woman. She understood that she herself had once blindly trusted her husband in the same way. On the other hand, everyone learns from their own mistakes. Whether Polina stayed with Alexey after his lie or not—that was no longer something Nika needed to care about.
The woman looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. One had to value oneself first, so as not to fall for the foolish tricks other people used and not to disgrace oneself. Polina had behaved stupidly, blindly trusting him and coming to demand something from her chosen man’s former partner. Perhaps Nika should have taught her a harsher lesson? Then again, Nika had not signed up to be anyone’s teacher. She needed to take care of her own life and enjoy every day. And in the future, she would look more carefully at the people she allowed close to her—so she would not end up caught in a deceiver’s web again.
Giggling at the absurdity of the situation, Nika briefly imagined the scolding her useless ex was about to receive from Polina. She would have liked to see it, but… she had already had enough of a show.
Dialing her friend’s number, Nika arranged to meet her. She wanted to share what had happened. Let her know that things like this did not happen only in movies.